Title: Love by the Books
Pairing: Nico/Percy/Annabeth
Warnings: polyamory, threesomes, language
Rating: R for the sexings
A/N: I blame Heather/callunavulgari and my wifey entirely 3
Disclaimer: I am actually not Rick Riordan, soooooo.
Summary: Annabeth builds a few bridges, and Percy ceases to be the linchpin in their arrangement.
Annabeth was totally prepared for what she was going to find when she let herself into Percy's apartment at seven in the morning on Friday, so when she set her bag on the kitchen counter and heard tell tale low moans coming from his bedroom she wasn't at all surprised. Percy didn't have to be at work until eight, and Nico never left early unless he absolutely had to.
Percy's door was wide open, so it wasn't hard to peer inside. Watching them together fascinated her on one level , and on another she was just pleased that they were taking such good care of each other. Percy was fond of morning sex, and would push his schedule a bit if he thought he could fit some fun in before work or classes. He was running a bit tight on time as it was.
But interrupting them like this would have been a complete travesty. Percy was pressed tight against Nico's back, his face tucked into the younger demigod's neck, and his arms were wrapped around him as Percy rolled his hips. It was slow and languid, and judging by the sounds coming from Nico's mouth they'd been at it for a while - both were probably pretty close to orgasm. Annabeth clearly heard Nico start muttering encouragements in Italian, and Percy started to move a little faster while the son of Hades reached back and tangled his long fingers in Percy's hair. Moments later Nico tensed, shuddering and moaning as he came, followed closely by Percy, who kept thrusting gently through. Even after he finally stilled, Nico was quivering in his embrace.
They stayed like that, locked together as they kissed lazily, relishing the afterglow for a bit. Annabeth left them alone and went to the kitchen to make Percy a quick breakfast that he could run out the door with. It would have been a crime to pull him from Nico so soon after that.
When he didn't emerge from the bedroom after another ten minutes, Annabeth padded into the bedroom and curled up against Percy's back. "Work's in thirty," she muttered, kissing his ear and rubbing his naked hip.
Nico made a horribly disgusted sound. "You came in to take him away?"
Percy nuzzled his neck affectionately. "She's right. I have to get ready," he groaned, and as he started to move Annabeth slid off the bed. Percy sat up and kissed her thoroughly, completely ignoring his nudity and the fact that he had just pulled himself away – softening dick and everything – from a morning fuck with his boyfriend. "Good morning," he murmured, smiling against her lips.
Annabeth took a dainty sniff. "You smell like sex. Much as I like that, I don't think your boss will."
"You like my musk?" he teased, rubbing her nose with his.
"I love your musk, kelp-for-brains. Go shower." She slapped his ass as he retreated to the bathroom and ignored his feigned indignation.
Nico was curled up again, and had probably already fallen back asleep. "I made some breakfast if you want some," she said, patting his bare foot that was peeking out from under the blankets before heading back out to the kitchen.
She was eating eggs and toast when Percy flew into the room like a whirlwind, kissed her full on the lips and murmured a thank you as he grabbed the sandwich on the counter and ran out the door to catch his bus.
A few minutes later the water started again as Nico grabbed his own shower.
When he finally emerged Nico opted to eat a handful of grapes and a piece of toast for breakfast rather than the eggs – mostly because Percy had eaten the majority of them. Annabeth sat with her coffee, sipping it and surveying him over the top of the cup. He was wearing Percy's clothes, that much was obvious. He was thinner than Percy, and their boyfriend's sweatpants hung low on his hips, revealing a generous stretch of pale olive-toned skin and sharp, prominent hip bones. Percy's shirt – one he most likely started off sleeping in before Nico had pulled it off of him – hung off his frame, but she didn't have to wonder what his body looked like; she knew he was built thin but solid, with wiry muscles that made him a deceptively dangerous opponent. His hair was wet and curly from the shower, and his height made him look like he'd been stretched on a medieval rack.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to pull him away."
Nico shrugged, popping a grape in his mouth. "I knew what time it was. He knew it was late when we started."
"He does that," she chuckled, thinking of the numerous arguments she'd had with Percy over sex when they both needed to be out of the door quickly in the morning. "He'll get me going and then realize he lost the condoms, and spend more time looking for them than we do fucking."
A snort from him drew her attention again; he was grinning secretively in a way that was all too easy for her to figure out. "He's never pulled that on you?"
"Most of the time we don't really have that problem," he muttered vaguely.
"Wait, what does that – oh. Oh. No condoms?"
Nico fixed her with a wry look. "I'm not exactly ovulating, and we're the only two sex partners Percy has had – and I know we're both clean. So no. No condoms."
"Isn't it a little . . ." she paused, trying to think of the word.
"It's messy, sure. But I like the way it feels," he said, an embarrassed blush spreading across his face.
"Kinky," Annabeth smirked. "But yeah, I guess you're right."
Nico shrugged, going back to eating his grapes. Annabeth could tell he wasn't much of a morning person.
A nagging question raised its head again, and with Percy out the door and Nico being socially pliant she decided to take the leap and ask. "I know you spend some days in the Underworld, but do you have your own apartment in the city?" she asked curiously. "I've only ever seen you here."
They kept separate apartments primarily because of the distance between their schools and the difference in board prices. Annabeth lived in a relatively spacious dorm with another student, while Percy's school allowed for off-campus apartments and he'd opted for one closer to his internship. Nico however seemed to live at Percy's when he wasn't in the Underworld.
Nico shook his head. "I'm not here often enough to hold down my own place, so Percy lets me stay. I help him out with food and some of the bills and take up a drawer with my clothes. I try not to get in the way."
"What do you do in the Underworld that keeps you going back?"
"Dad keeps me busy."
"You're working for him?"
"I'm his primary advisor," Nico said, which completely took her off guard. "And his battlefield lieutenant, should we ever go to war again in my lifetime."
Annabeth stared at him for several long moments. "You're shitting me."
"What, why is that so ridiculous?" Nico snapped, shrinking in on himself a bit and glaring at her like she'd insulted his mother or sister.
Fuck. Her intention wasn't to hurt him in the slightest. "No, no it makes perfect sense," she corrected herself, shaking her head. "You're his only living son. He trusts you."
Nico relaxed marginally, losing a bit of his tension. "I'm also the only one who's led armies in two separate wars that haven't totally fucked up the world," he muttered pointedly.
"That's impressive, Nico. I didn't know. You must be really proud."
He allowed her a small smile, but his expression spoke more of pride and accomplishment. "I sit as his right hand. I have his ear in debates."
"Do you like it? Being his advisor?"
"Most of the time," Nico answered, the pride drawing back in his voice as he seemed to recall something that made him distinctly unhappy. "He's been kind of a dick lately – sorry Dad, but you have," he says loudly as an aside when a tiny tremor reaches Percy's apartment. The rumbling stopped a moment later, much to their relief. "He's been trying to advise me."
"About Percy," Annabeth guessed with a sigh. It wasn't hard to deduce; Hades had never really amended his perception of Percy, so she wasn't all that surprised.
"About Percy, about this . . . arrangement or whatever. He thinks Percy is using me for sex."
Annabeth started, shocked by the suggestion. She'd seen the way Percy looked at Nico, the way he behaved around him. He was just as in love with Nico as he was in love with her. There was no mistaking that. "But he's-"
"I know he's not. I've tried to explain that to Dad, but he just doesn't like it. I won't give this up, though."
"Percy really does care for you – a lot. I'm sorry, Nico. I didn't know you were dealing with this from your father."
"What about your parents? How are they taking it that you're sharing?"
"We're part of a polyamorous relationship," she countered. "Thinking of it like sharing . . . it's treating Percy like a possession or a prize. Of which he is neither.
"My mom has always voiced her opinions on Percy quite plainly. I could, apparently, choose better – but I won't give him up either. My dad isn't the happiest, but he knows I'm happy with all this so he chooses not to argue. As for Percy, Poseidon doesn't get involved in Percy's love life, which is good – that would be mighty hypocritical – I'm sorry sir, but you know it," she said loudly, like Nico had done. Reassuring their parents and relatives that they weren't badmouthing them was kind of necessary. "And Sally-"
"Sally knows?" Nico croaked.
"Of course Sally knows, you leave very clear hickeys on that boy that I don't," she chuckled. "You know Sally loves you like a son. If she saw you now she'd be fretting over how thin you are and force-feeding you cake and sandwiches. She can tell Percy's happy, and that's enough for her."
After another silence, it was Nico's turn to take the plunge. "So . . . what are you doing here so early? Not that I'm pissed or whatever, or trying to kick you out. Just curious."
"My classes are done for a while. My roommate is gone, so it gets lonely at my dorm." Nico stood there, apparently unsure what that meant for him. "Do you want to hang out?" she asked hopefully.
Nico stared at her like she'd grown an extra three heads. "You want to . . . hang out with me?"
"Yeah, sure, why not? We share a boyfriend, but . . . I don't really know you that well. I'd like to. We never really got the chance when we were younger." She doesn't say you know, when you hated my guts because you were jealous?
Nico had the decency to blush, his mind clearly going where hers had too.
"I guess I feel like we still have a lot to learn about each other," Annabeth explained, watching Nico's reactions carefully. Spooking the son of Hades was always a real possibility, even with their new situation developing as it was. He was much more confident around Percy, even now; but with her Nico still acted kind of skittish and uncertain. He trusted her, that much she knew, and he enjoyed her company (especially when they were plotting against Percy) but beyond that they didn't have much of a relationship. Annabeth desperately wanted to change that. "It's not like we lead totally separate lives."
Nico shrugged, shifting on his feet awkwardly. "I guess you're right. What do you suggest?"
"A game, maybe? Just not one made up by guys who wish they lived our 'quest and spoils of war lifestyle,' ok?"
Nico frowned at her, but it seemed like he managed to take the comment well. "Actually, card games like Mythomagic and roleplaying ones like Dungeons and Dragons are derived from wargames that emphasized strategy, knowing your enemy and his weaknesses, and critical thinking. A lot of my plans for the Underworld army have a basis in Mythomagic – do not tell my father – so they actually help you learn to think out situations to your advantage." Satisfied that he'd educated her on that point, Nico took a long drink of coffee.
"Seriously? Wargames? How do you know that?"
Nico shrugged again. "I talked to the guys who created the games. You pick things up when your primary social interactions are people who've been dead a hundred years or so."
Annabeth tilted her head, her brain calculating at breakneck speed. "Have you ever played Trivial Pursuit?"
Nico looked at her blankly. "What is it?"
"Come on, I'll show you."
They play for hours and hours until Percy wanders in and sees them surrounded by towering piles of cards with trivia scrawled on them. They tie, every single time – and Annabeth absolutely loved it. She'd never known the Mythomagic-obsessed boy they rescued in Maine, and she couldn't help but feel sad that it had taken her this long to find this side of him: the one who could have passed for a child of Athena with his sharp mind, strategic skills, and his desire to learn.
"We should do this more," she said, ecstatic at their newfound understanding of each other.
Nico nodded tentatively, grinning at both her and Percy as their boyfriend kissed their foreheads.
0o0
Nico and Annabeth got together more often after that, and gradually Nico started to relax around her. She felt much more at ease with him, especially after he started opening up more to her. Annabeth found him to be incredibly caring and attentive, and very observant – especially when it came to her or Percy's emotions and reactions to things. He was able to pick up on her frustration and fears about the future, and Percy's sadness about those they'd lost. Nico was getting better with her, but watching how in tune he was to Percy's moods was startling for Annabeth.
There came a point in their relationship where Annabeth had to pause when she was talking about Nico and Percy to another demigod, because she'd been about to say "my boyfriend" but the subject was not Percy at all. After a brief moment she shrugged mentally and went right on, referring to both Percy and Nico as her boyfriends.
Athena expressed her displeasure at this development quite clearly, but Annabeth couldn't be bothered to change her mind – not when she could go to Percy's apartment and curl up with both her boys under piles of blankets, their heads tucked against each other's shoulders and arms wrapped snuggly for warmth.
Why on earth would she ever want to change this?
0o0
"You and Percy seem to be doing well," Annabeth commented with a sly, knowing smile, tilting her head just slightly to watch the expressions flit across Nico's face. It was entertaining, to say the least. They were at Percy's apartment alone again, but Nico's anxieties about being alone in a room with her had mostly dissipated. Not to say they were totally comfortable yet, but it was still progress.
"We're alright," Nico answered modestly, his gaze shifting between her and the board – Settlers of Cataan's Merchants and Thieves expansion pack - nervously.
"I walked in on him begging you to fuck him harder and cursing up a storm when you did," she countered, as if they were having a polite disagreement about the weather. "You're doing awesome."
"How does that tell you how we're doing?"
Annabeth leaned in close, wearing a very satisfied grin. "Because he doesn't do that for just anyone, Nico."
0o0
"When did you know?" she asked gently as they watched an old Italian movie from the 50's; Percy, having worked a strenuous shift after a long week of classes, was passed out across their legs. He'd started out leaning heavily against Annabeth's shoulder before she decided enough was enough, and maneuvered his dead weight across her thighs so his head ended up in Nico's lap. They'd been sitting like that for nearly two hours, but Nico looked as content as could be as he combed long, thin fingers through Percy's wild mess of hair.
It's a delicate question, and Nico doesn't answer for a little bit, content to distract himself with the movie. She knew that the years he spent trying to get Percy's attention and trust were not his favorite subject, but she was curious.
"It's hard to say when I really knew," he finally answered. "I remember seeing him fight and just feeling like Zeus had struck me with a lightning bolt. He was one of those big damn heroes, like in all the stories. I idolized him up 'til the point when everyone but Bianca came back from that quest - I wanted to hate him, but something in my head and heart wouldn't let him go. Back then I think I just assumed it was a little crush or something. But I guess . . . when we were down in the Underworld together. I knew I was in trouble then."
Annabeth couldn't help but grin. "You know, that has to be best description of what it's like to fall for this kelp-for-brains boy. I knew I was in trouble pretty early on, too," she said with an affectionate smile, poking Percy ineffectually on his thigh. "He was always too blind to see it on his own, though. He had no idea . . . how either of us felt until it was right there in his face."
Nico snorted. "Really? Even with you? I kind of assumed you were his girlfriend when we first met."
A giggle escaped her lips. "I remember he mentioned that to me, that you asked all these questions just trying to figure us out. We were both pretty confused back then. It wasn't easy."
Nico snorted again, and Annabeth took that as an agreement; love hadn't been easy for either of them, and she knew it hadn't been for Percy either with Aphrodite crossing his stars and all that. "You?" he asked, expectantly.
Annabeth looked down at the unconscious lump of demigod in her lap and stroked her hand down his side thoughtfully. "The battle against Kronos," she said finally. "Ethan Nakamura was lunging at him with a knife, and even though he was pretty much invulnerable I thought to myself, I can't let him get hurt, I can't let him get close."
"You took the knife instead," Nico finished for her. "I remember. He was terrified."
She nodded before going on. "He told me where his vulnerable spot was after that. That I'd saved him from dying then. And maybe I was delirious with venom or nectar, but I wanted to tell him how much I cared for him."
Nico was silent for a few moments, too focused on carding through Percy's hair to respond.
"You're the reason he survived that fight at all," Annabeth said, nudging his shoulder gently. "He couldn't have done it without you – and then we wouldn't be here at all, would we?"
"I wouldn't have gone far without either of you," Percy muttered sleepily from Nico's lap. "That is a fact. Did I fall asleep like this?" he asked, sounding vaguely astonished. "And you two didn't shove me to the floor?"
"Go back to sleep, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth murmured, patting his shoulder.
0o0
Annabeth should have guessed that games were the way to Nico's heart and mind after that first Trivial Pursuit game. Not only did they give each other serious runs for their money but she learned just as much from him as he did from her.
Games like Risk, chess, and Settlers of Cataan became their bread and butter. Soon Annabeth came to cherish the sounds of Nico giggling with mirth, outright laughing, and his mischievous chortling just as Percy had; it was a gift, she thought, because it happened so rarely that she often forgot such sounds came from his mouth. Not anymore.
She enjoyed his enthusiasm and competitiveness at the games she taught him, and soon enough he was teaching her – and Percy – the basics of Mythomagic and engaging them in matches that grew more and more intense as they grasped the game better.
0o0
Annabeth caught Nico reading her textbooks one day, and asked what he was doing. He explained, sheepishly, that the amount of schooling he'd received in the last century was incredibly small, and he wanted to know more about history and politics and art – anything he could get his hands on.
The three of them shadow travel to the Smithsonian Museums on a school break, and they spend the week exploring and learning – and despite the fact that Nico is taller than both of them and is becoming a ridiculously handsome young man, he looks like a child, eyes bright with wonder, as he sorts through the exhibits, his dark eyes taking everything he can in.
(There's a group of janitors and security guards that watch them furtively from a distance, so their scent isn't picked up by the champions of Olympus.
Today isn't the day, my brothers.)
They go on little adventures together, and when Nico is feeling up to it he takes control and decides their destination before tugging them through the shadows, keeping them in the dark until the tunnel opens up and they find themselves in a new place entirely. Florence is one of Nico's favorite destinations, mostly because it doesn't have the baggage Rome and Venice have attached to them. She picks up on customs and cultural mannerisms well, but Percy – well, Percy doesn't. More than once she witnessed Nico trailing a bolting Percy, shouting lewd and rude things in Italian.
She still couldn't be happier.
0o0
She misses Nico just as much as Percy when he goes back to the Underworld for a few days. Percy's apartment seems empty without the little touch of darkness and Nico's sarcastic remarks echoing down the hall.
Knowing that it's only for a few days helps; she and Percy don't have to wonder whether Nico will be back or not, because he made it clear that this was where he wanted to be.
The one time he returns early by a day doesn't turn out so well – mostly because he shadow travels right into Percy's bedroom and finds himself staring as Percy fucks her, and Annabeth can't really remember the whole scene because she was halfway to orgasm, but she remembers several things: she was screaming, on her back with Percy over her, his hips moving at a fast and brutal pace. She remembered catching sight of their boyfriend, still mostly in the shadows, staring at them with this absolutely wrecked and wretched expression of want and jealousy. Within a minute he left, and Percy never knew he was there until Annabeth told him, gasping in the aftermath.
Annabeth found Nico a while later, curled up on the couch with reddened cheeks and a sour expression. She sat down beside him carefully, trying with all her might not to spook him or send him stalking away in anger. "Why are you out here?" she asked gently.
"You guys were busy," Nico hissed, averting his eyes.
"You could have stayed. We would have been ok with it."
"Stay? And do what, watch?"
"I watch you guys on occasion," Annabeth shrugged. "You're the one who mentioned a threesome, Nico. Are you . . . not ok with Percy and I having sex?"
"What – no, that's not-"
"Good," Annabeth interrupted him with steel in her voice, "because we have a lot of it and it's a little late to be voicing your displeasure now."
"No, I – I just started feeling it again. The jealousy. I couldn't control it. I'm sorry."
Annabeth put a hand on his arm. "He's yours too, Nico. He's not just my boyfriend anymore, he's yours too."
"I know that," he sighed, seeming to deflate. "It was just – a reflex or whatever. I know we're all equal. It's something I have to shake."
Nico looked utterly ashamed of his reaction, and Annabeth just wanted to wrap him up in a tight hug. Instead, she chose a different route. She held out her hand and waited for him to grasp it with his own. "Come back in with me. We're too tired to do anything, so don't panic . . . just to sleep."
Nico fixed her with wide, nervous eyes as he nodded, allowing himself to be led back to Percy's room, where their boyfriend was waiting. He sleeps between them, holding Annabeth and Nico close throughout the night.
0o0
"Have you thought about it?" Annabeth asked, turning so she was sitting facing him. "Us fucking Percy together?"
A light flush spread across his cheeks. "A bit. Percy seems to really like the idea."
"What about you?"
"Percy's the only person I've ever had sex with," Nico swallowed nervously. "I don't know what it would be like with another person."
"If it makes you feel better, this isn't something we do. But I like the idea of all of us being together – like it's not just you and Percy, or me and Percy, it would be 'us.' How do you feel about that?"
Nico shrugged. "It still doesn't really change much."
"Are you nervous because I'll be involved?"
"I guess. I don't really know anything about girls."
"I could teach you," Annabeth grinned. "Ask Percy, I am an excellent teacher." When he stared blankly at her she laughed. "What, you think we just jumped into bed together and he automatically knew exactly what I liked and how to bring me off? Hell no. We taught each other, just like you two did."
"I don't know," Nico hedged.
"Am I that scary?"
"You're not scary, you're intimidating. Percy loved you first."
"That doesn't mean he loves you any less," Annabeth countered, a warm feeling growing in her chest at the implication that they might have exchanged those words. "Or that I think less of you, or that you're competition. I'm not jealous."
"You really aren't?"
"Do you think I'd be sitting here chatting about our shared boyfriend if I was jealous? I like you. I want to be your friend."
"You are my friend," Nico muttered softly, averting his gaze nervously.
Annabeth grinned and cupped his face between her palms, tilting his face towards hers so she could plant a light, chaste kiss to his lips.
0o0
About a week before Percy's birthday, Annabeth broached the subject of the threesome again with Nico – and again, he stalled. She frowned, and twisted around so she could straddle Nico's hips, pinning him to the couch. A strangled noise erupted from his mouth as she settled herself on top of him, shifting her weight experimentally. His eyes were wide as saucers, staring up at her unblinkingly.
"What are you doing?" he asked, swallowing thickly.
"Educating," Annabeth answered simply. "Vaginal sex isn't anal sex – the angles are different, the positioning is a bit different, and so is the prepwork."
"I am very confused right now."
"You said you don't know anything about girls – which includes sex with girls. I'm going to educate you. Is that ok?"
Nico emitted a small squeaking noise and he flushed from his cheeks all the way down his neck.
"Hey," she said quietly, cupping his face in her hands and angling it so she could look him in the eye. "We're not going to do anything – promise. I just want to show you, so we can be comfortable with each other when we bring Percy in. Are you cool with that?"
After a tense moment where Annabeth was sure he was going to sink into the couch and disappear he nodded, meeting her gaze with trusting eyes. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips, a show of affection to ease his anxiety. When Annabeth pulled away though, she became the teacher once more.
"I know you and Percy have enjoyed copious amounts of foreplay, and that's good because it's pretty necessary for me. You can't just stick your dick in – ok, maybe you could, but I wouldn't really enjoy it much. I like fingers and tongues first. I know you have a preference for Percy's equipment though, so you don't have to go down on me if you don't want to. He's usually pretty attentive there.
"Now, this angle is perfect for foreplay and riding. But it's not about the thrusting in and out that makes this really good – it's the grinding." As she finished speaking Annabeth rolled her hips slowly, pressing them down against his and reveling in the shudders that swept through him – and the developing hardness in his jeans pressing right against her. "Do you know why?" she asked, moving his hands to grasp her hips as she continued to move.
Nico swallowed and shook his head.
Annabeth guided one of his hands down to the crotch of her jeans, positioning his fingers right between her legs. "Women have this bundle of nerves right there called a clitoris. Rubbing it, licking – it's amazing. You can't go wrong. And if you go for it and spend the time to make me feel good, I won't need lubricant. You guys have used this position before, right?"
She really didn't need him to answer; Percy had told her about riding Nico like this as she traced the red scratch marks Nico had left on his hips, lower back, and thighs.
Nico nodded numbly; Annabeth noted with satisfaction that his blush was lessening bit by bit. Most of his neck had lost its redness. However she was struck by his lack of response, and wondered what he was still nervous about.
"You know I won't hurt you, right?"
"I know," Nico said quickly, his voice constricted. "I'm not worried about that. I just . . . don't know what I'm doing."
Annabeth placed her hands over his on her hips. "Relax, sweetie. Let me show you."
She walked him through whenever she started doing something different, but by and large Nico began to respond to her without hesitation. His hands travelled up her back and under her shirt as they kissed; it was awkward, because they were both used to kissing Percy and dominating the kiss for the most part, so at first there were noses in eyes and foreheads cracking together, but they got the hang of it. Annabeth continued rolling her hips in a gentle, undulating motion, grinding against him and drawing these tiny moans from his mouth.
"You're enjoying yourself," she teased as a small gasp escaped.
"I'm seventeen," Nico hissed. "You could rub a dead rodent against my dick and my body would be stupid enough to enjoy it."
Annabeth snorted. "You're a little more selective than that, and I know it. You're not fooling anyone, sweetie."
"Why do you keep calling me that?" he asked, breaking away a little and staring up at her with an utterly confused expression.
"Would you rather I call you 'corpsebreath?' That's kind of not cute. Or something I want to be saying in the middle of kissing you."
"I guess that's not one I'd have picked either," Nico snorted.
"I call you and Percy 'sweetie' because you are. We can find something else, though. What do you call Percy?"
Nico didn't answer for a moment, and his cheeks flushed again. "Tesoro."
Treasure. That seemed fitting. Satisfied, Annabeth recaptured his lips and resumed rolling her hips against him. This time around, there was a lot less hesitation on Nico's part as he let himself be taught and sought out the most sensitive spots on her skin with gusto.
As Percy had told her, Nico really was a fast learner.
0o0
It's ironic that Percy is the one who stalls her lesson completely with a perfectly-timed entrance.
"So is it my birthday? Did you guys start the party without me?"
These words break Annabeth and Nico apart, mostly because Nico made this godsawful squawk of surprise and pulled back from their kiss. Annabeth grinned at her boyfriend, who was still dressed in his work uniform for the aquarium and cheerfully greeted him.
Nico took the opportunity to mutter, "Percy, help," in a pitiful, strangled tone.
Annabeth knew better than to fall for his act; Nico's eyes were bright and his pupils dilated, and he wasn't fooling her, not with the arousal she felt behind thick denim. She rolled her eyes and smirked at Percy, enjoying his completely shocked expression because this was wonderful – it was the exact same face he made when she stripped all her clothing off, only it was directed at Nico as well as her.
"No, I don't think I will," Percy said, a grin still plastered on his face.
"You're home early," Annabeth commented. "Not that I'm complaining."
"I am," Nico protested. "Percy, help me-"
"Nope," Percy nearly giggled with delight, plopping down on the couch right beside them. He twisted, his fingers teasing the exposed bit of skin where Nico's shirt rode up. "This is fucking hot."
"I hate you."
"I love you too."
Nico was blushing deeply again, and Percy apparently couldn't help but tease him. "You're blushing like you did our first night together," he murmured against Nico's jaw, nuzzling the side of his face. "You're not a virgin anymore, but it is pretty cute."
Annabeth snorted and rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Seaweed Brain. Virginity is a very outdated concept and a social construction –"
"Shut up, both of you," Nico groaned.
Annabeth licked her lips when Percy leaned in and started kissing Nico's jaw and neck, his fingers slowly pushing their boyfriend's shirt up, teasing as he went. She rolled her hips down hard, groaning a little at her own arousal and the feel of Nico's against her.
"Oh, Percy," she murmured, sending a sly smile Percy's way. "He's nice and long."
Nico muttered a curse that sounded a bit like Zeus strike me down now and turned beet red, stifling a moan when Percy nipped at a tendon in his neck.
Percy sucked on that bit of skin, leaving a clear mark as his fingers teased one of his boyfriend's nipples. "I know," he whispered, lips just touching Nico's jaw, "he gets so deep inside. Sometimes I'm not sure I can take it all."
Nico choked on his own breath. "If you insist on saying things like that, why don't you put that filthy mouth to good use, Jackson?"
"What, and leave Annabeth out? She's doing all the hard work here."
Annabeth smiled at him, silently communicating you're sweet, but I'm ok right here. "Don't worry about me, babe. You can take care of me later. This is about him."
Percy took the hint for the most part, but started whispering in Nico's ear; whatever it was, it made their younger boyfriend blush. Then Nico swallowed thickly and put his hands on her hips, squeezing gently. Percy was kissing a line down his neck again, and she felt Nico pull her closer until she was grinding against him at his own pace. She feels herself grin, and they begin again.
Annabeth looses track of everything – time, her boys – and her mind focuses on just a few things: Nico is making these wonderful noises that she's only heard induced by Percy's kisses, and Percy's got his hands on both of them like he can't help himself (she can't blame him), and there's literally no space between them at all. They fit together like puzzle pieces, and suddenly Annabeth is struck by something Percy had said to her during those few weeks when Nico was nowhere to be found: I feel like I keep reaching for something that isn't there, but it should be – it belongs there, but the piece was left out of the set or something. She had said Like Legos? because Annabeth could clearly remember searching for the last Lego piece to finish her kingdom – she'd counted, searched, checked all the block counts, but the piece just wasn't there. It existed, but she didn't have it. Percy had understood immediately.
She understands now. Their piece was hiding in the Underworld.
Nico tensing beneath her draws Annabeth out of her musing; she stops short, afraid she's hurt him, but realizes what's going on seconds later. His hands are gripping her hips like a vice as he rocks up against her, biting his lip and masking a groan as his whole body shudders with release.
At their side, Percy is staring with a glazed look in his eyes (she would bet her savings account that if he stood up right then his own arousal would be tenting his work trousers) and a shit-eating grin on his face. As Nico slumps back against the couch, Percy leans in and tilts his face so he can kiss him.
After he pulled away Percy lifted his hand up, and Annabeth high-fived him. "He hasn't done that since we first started experimenting," he said gleefully, ignoring Nico's hissed warning. "Seriously though, can we just celebrate my birthday now?" he asked before Nico punched him hard in the shoulder.